1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to supports, straps, and slings providing for the support, carriage, or holding of an article and supported by a person, and more specifically to a baby bottle holder which provides for the hands free support of a baby bottle by an adult, for feeding an infant. The present baby bottle holder includes an adjustable neck sling which secures about the neck of the person holding the baby, with the sling supporting a bottle holder portion which secures around the bottle and automatically suspends the bottle in a nipple downward orientation. The bottle holder portion may be everted or moved relative to the bottle, to reposition the bottle therein to suspend the bottle with the nipple upward when the bottle is not in use. A doubled over band of hook and loop fastener material is used to secure the sleeve or holder portion to the bottle adjacent the nipple end of the bottle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Being the parent of a small infant is a demanding task, and it often seems that the parent or guardian has neither sufficient time nor hands to do an adequate job. This can be particularly true at meal times for the infant, when the adult must cradle the child, hold the bottle, and perhaps perform other chores simultaneously, such as wiping up spills, answering a telephone, etc.
Thus, the need for some means of holding a baby bottle to provide for hands free feeding of an infant, has long been recognized. However, none of the devices known are capable of automatically supporting the bottle at the proper angle for feeding the infant, while also allowing the holder to be adjusted to support the bottle with the nipple raised, to preclude dripping or spillage from the tip of the nipple when the bottle is not in use. A discussion of the prior art known to the present inventor, and its differences from the present invention, is provided below.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,494,632 issued on Jan. 17, 1950 to Robert Rodin describes a Nursing Bottle Holder, comprising a fabric pouch which completely and tightly surrounds the bottle, except for the nipple end. A strap is secured to two separated points on the pouch to support it and a bottle contained therein. Elastic is used at the neck of the bottle, adjacent the nipple end, to secure the pouch around the bottle. The bottle is thus immovably installed within the pouch during use, and the only means of tilting the angle of the bottle, is by adjusting the position of the strap about the user's neck.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,617,105 issued on Nov. 11, 1952 to Frances G. Backman describes an Article For Protecting Clothing, comprising an elongate flat sheet of absorbent material which is sewn together longitudinally at each end, to form a bottle pocket at each end. The device is adapted for use only as a bottle storage means and burping cloth, and not as a device for holding a bottle during the actual feeding process. The device is slung diagonally over a shoulder, rather than being suspended about the neck. Thus, a bottle held in one of the pockets thereof will be supported with the nipple upward, and cannot be used to hold the bottle for feeding, as provided by the present bottle holder.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,644,623 issued on Jul. 7, 1953 to Gwendolyn S. White describes a Nursing Bottle Holder, comprising a sling with a neck strap secured thereto. One end of the strap extends downwardly into the sling, to form a loop therein. A baby bottle is inserted into the sling through one end thereof, and the base end of the bottle may be suspended within the strap loop within the sling to position the nipple end of the bottle downwardly for feeding. When the feeding has been completed, the base of the bottle is removed from the strap loop within the sling, and allowed to rest within the sling. However, even when the bottle is resting within the sling, the nipple end of the bottle is angled slightly downwardly (col. 4, lines 73--75), thus allowing a bottle even slightly less than half full to drip from the nipple. No means of everting or adjusting the sling to raise the nipple end of the bottle is provided by White, as is provided by the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,065,944 issued on Nov. 27, 1962 to Georgia R. Liebendorfer describes a Nursing Bottle Holder, comprising a sleeve with an elastic insert which grips the bottle tightly. A neck strap extends from the sleeve. Adjustment of the bottle angle is provided by tying a loop in the strap, to raise or lower one end of the bottle. The configuration is quite similar to that of the Rodin device discussed further above, with no positive means for holding the bottle at a predetermined angle, as provided by the present bottle holder in its various embodiments.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,144,230 issued on Aug. 11, 1964 to Durward L. Brooks describes a Nursing Bottle Support, comprising an elongate connector formed of wire and having a pair of spaced apart loops formed therein. One end of a neck strap is secured to each loop, with an elastic strap extending from each loop to secure a bottle therein. As in the cases of the Rodin and Liebendorfer bottle holders discussed above, adjustment of the angle of the bottle is accomplished by repositioning the strap around the user's neck, rather than shifting the bottle within the holder, as is done in the case of the present bottle holder invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,197,099 issued on Jul. 27, 1965 to Inez Doba describes Nursing Bottle Holders formed of a coiled plastic strip configured to surround a baby bottle. The free end of the coil extends to form a larger loop, which serves to suspend the holder from the neck of the user. The fixed angle of the relatively rigid plastic material holds the bottle with the nipple downward, and no raising of the nipple end is provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,977 issued on Jun. 27, 1978 to George W. Barville et al. describes a Device For Anchoring Bottles Or The Like, And Method. The device comprises an open ended harness, which is securable about an infant by means of mating hook and loop fastening material at the ends of the straps. A removable attachment for a baby bottle is provided on the front of the harness, comprising a resilient ring which fits around the relatively narrow neck of a conventional baby bottle. Thus, the bottle would only be suspended by its neck, with the center of gravity of the bottle tilting the bottle to a nipple up position. The bottle would have to be actively tilted to and held in a nipple downward position for feeding, whereas the present holder automatically holds the bottle ar the desired angle. Moreover, the Barville et al. device is not adapted to suspend the bottle from the parent or guardian holding the child, as provided by the present holder.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,220,302 issued on Sep. 2, 1980 to Jarold L. Hampton et al. describes a Nursing Bottle Holder comprising a shoulder strap with a Velcro (tm) patch thereon. A sleeve securable about a bottle includes a patch of mating Velcro thereon, enabling the bottle to be secured to the strap at any desired angle. The bottle does not automatically hang at the proper angle due to the specific configuration of the bottle sleeve and neck strap, as provided by the present bottle holder.
None of the above inventions and patents, either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.